Development Authority

Board Members

The Alpharetta Development Authority is a seven member board appointed by the Alpharetta City Council with the goal of fostering commerce and growth within the City of Alpharetta.

Statement of Purpose: The Development Authority of Alpharetta is granted powers and jurisdiction through the State of Georgia General Assembly and a resolution adopted by the Alpharetta City Council on September 3, 1996. The function of this Authority is to promote the public good and general welfare, trade, commerce, industry, general tax base and the employment opportunities available in the City of Alpharetta.

Current Board Members:

CHAIRMAN – Bob Hunter

VICE – CHAIRMAN – Brad Edwards

SECRETARY/ TREASURER – Georgia Barrow

ASSISTANT SECRETARY – Joe Briner

BOARD OF DIRECTOR – Crystal Carter

BOARD OF DIRECTOR – Jack Nugent

BOARD OF DIRECTOR – Byron Sanford

Current Programs

The Alpharetta Development Authority runs many of the local incentive programs offered by the City of Alpharetta. Each program is designed to fulfill the needs of a new or expanding business in Alpharetta. Learn more about the type of programs offered by the The Alpharetta Development Authority below.

1. Tax Abatement

The City of Alpharetta is a full participant in the local tax abatement program coordinated through the Alpharetta Development Authority. They are designed to lower the real and personal tax liability on the value of new investments made in Alpharetta and can provide significant savings. Requirements of a tax abatement include meeting minimum thresholds in the areas of job creation, average salary, and fiscal impact. The final authorization to issue bonds rests with the Alpharetta Development Authority board of directors.

2. Revenue Bonds

The Alpharetta Development Authority stands ready to issue revenue bonds in financing projects that will have a significant impact on the City of Alpharetta in terms of job creation and capital investment. These tax free bonds can provide significant savings to qualifying projects over more traditional financing methods. The final authorization to issue bonds rests with the Alpharetta Development Authority board of directors.

3. Local Job Creation Credit

To encourage new and expanding businesses to hire from the local workforce, the City of Alpharetta, through the City of Alpharetta Development Authority, has established a Local Jobs Creation Grant Program. Under this program, for each job created that qualifies for the Georgia Job Tax Credit Program and for which a current resident of the City of Alpharetta is hired; the City will pay a direct grant of $250-$500 per new employee to a business up to a maximum cumulative amount of $80,000. The grant may be claimed for eligible new full-time, permanent jobs at the Alpharetta facility and may be claimed in years two and three, if the Alpharetta resident continues to be employed.

4. Discounted Permitting and Inspection Fees

As an incentive to business investment, the City of Alpharetta offers to reduce local permitting fees. Under that package the City will waive building permit and inspection fees associated with tenant improvements and build out of the leased space for projects that are under $20 million in capital investment. For projects over $10 million in capital investment, the city will establish a per hour review rate, estimate the time that it will take staff to review the plans, and determine the fee to charge, plus a 10% contingency fee.